Drug submarine seized in Colombia

Police in Colombia have seized a submarine belonging to Farc rebels which had the capacity to carry at least seven tonnes of drugs. The 16m-long (52ft) vessel - equipped with a sophisticated navigation system - was captured near the Pacific port city of Buenaventura.

The police said the submersible was about to be used for the first time to deliver its load. The vessel would have been able to travel as far as Central America.



"It was going to be used by the narco-terrorist 29th front of the Farc (Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia) in alliance with organisations of drug traffickers who operate in this southern area of the country," drugs police chief Gene Luis Alberto Perez said.

He added that it was "probably one of the biggest" drug ships seized in Colombia in recent years. The authorities believe it cost about $2m (£1.3m) and could hold a crew of five.